As a hardworking, hard-partying firefighter, Hayden Walker values his career and his freedom. But as the eldest son of a U.S. senator, he agreed long ago to follow in his father’s footsteps and run for office, and that means settling down and marrying the picture-perfect wife. Hayden just isn’t ready for that sort of commitment . . . not with women like beautiful, curvy Saylor Dean—the naughty bridesmaid he recognizes the morning after his buddy’s wedding—tempting Hayden to stay single forever. The unwanted love child of a well-known politician, Saylor has always felt isolated and alone, her only solace the animal shelter she runs in Forrestville. Then she meets Hayden at her best friend’s wedding. During their impulsive and unforgettable night together, Saylor feels desired like never before—only to wake up and find that Hayden doesn’t remember his drunken proposal, or their hasty marriage, or her. But when the truth comes out, Saylor finds it’s a lot harder to fall out of love than in love.

Source: Netgalley

My Rating: 4/5 stars

My Review:

***REVIEW IS SLIGHTLY SPOILERISH***

Hot firefighter who loves to talk dirty and thoroughly satisfy his partner and a nerdy, quirky chick who saves hurt and abandoned animals and has a Star Wars obsession?? HELL YES!!! Sign me up!!!

Saylor Dean is about as quirky and nerdy and weird as they come. Though hardly anyone knows, she is a multimillionaire thanks to the guilt money given to her on a regular basis by her totally absentee yet totally famous father. Her mother might be considered absentee if it weren’t for the fact she’s a famous movie star who adores her daughter and sees her every chance she gets. From most people’s perspective, Saylor has it made. She owns her own business, is financially free to do as she pleases, and has a small circle of valued and trusted friends. What Saylor doesn’t have and desperately wants is a true family of her very own.

Hayden Walker has no interest in drinking the Walker family Kool-Aid. He doesn’t want to be a politician, he has no desire to be a politician, and if his father doesn’t start listening soon, things are going to get ugly. In the meantime, Hayden is going to continue to serve his community as a top-notch firefighter and live his life as he sees fit. In what could only be described as a stunning bit of debauchery and life living, Hayden has one hell of a good time in Tijuana at his friend’s wedding reception. At least, he thinks he had a good time, he woke up naked and couldn’t remember anything 🙂

Back in the real world, Hayden keeps running into Saylor and can’t seem to get the weird girl out of his head. She’s quirky and beautiful, always seems to say the wrong thing, and delights Hayden on every level. Though he’s never had to chase a girl before, Hayden finds he not only wants to chase Saylor but he wants to catch her and keep her. What Hayden doesn’t know, thanks to a truck load of alcohol is that he’s chasing his wife. Saylor, scared to death of Hayden’s reaction doesn’t readily share the news about their nuptials nor does she share her lineage. Turns out, both of those bits of information are going to be vital to the survival of her relationship with Hayden. If they both survive the impending storm, they may even learn to love one another.

The Bottom Line: You know what? Hard to Fall is really a fitting end to the Take the Fall series and I quite enjoyed this read. Saylor is just so delightfully weird that you really can’t help but love her. She is so awkward as to be almost unbelievable which makes her even more likeable. Hayden, on the other hand is relatively put together which makes him an excellent balance for Saylor. This read places a huge emphasis on family and what it means to be a family and those values sort of shine through both Saylor and Hayden. Their relationship certainly isn’t conventional by any means but it works for these two and works nicely with the overall plot. The ending gets wrapped up a bit too quickly and conveniently but other than that, this is another solid read from one of my favorite contemporary romance authors!!

About the author and where to find her:

New York Times Bestselling Author, Marquita Valentine, writes sexy heroes that make you swoon and sassy heroines that make you laugh. She’s the author of the bestselling contemporary romance series, Holland Springs, and the new adult romance series, Boys of the South. Marquita met her husband aka Hot Builder at Sonic when they were in high school. She suggests this location to all of her single friends in search of a good man—and if that doesn’t work, they can console themselves with cheesy tatertots. She lives in North Carolina in a very, very small town with Hot Builder and their two children.